By Jim Magdefrau

Cooped up, you eventually hear everything the news has to say five times.

One line I heard while sitting was that sitting is the new smoking. I think the science is still out on that. But I know there could be an issue if you are smoking while you’re sitting.

Sometimes we just find things to get stressed about. It’s then I take a lesson from Sam, the farm dog.

Sam knows that sitting is necessary if she is to get petted. The black Labrador will walk up to you and somehow place her neck and head right into your hands. A gentle nudge means it is time to start moving my hands. Easy work. She’ll look up every once in a while with a look of “That’s right.”

If there is a pause, I am given a confused look, so it is back to rubbing the neck, unless she does a halfway turn so her back can get scratched. She seems to gently nod to the rhythm of the hands.

If I stop, I get either a quizzical look, or she scopes the situation out on where the best place is to lie down is for a nap. She circles and picks the spot. Of course, she makes a point to have a part of her resting on my foot. She needs to remind me she is there.

That’s just what I need. A lesson in relaxing. I am not smoking, but I am sitting. I’m sitting while writing about smoking and sitting. And I’m writing about writing about sitting and smoking. I can see this can keep going. Lesson learned. What would Sam do?

As they say on an album, sometimes I sit and think. Sometimes, I just sit.